10
votes

God, Politics, Global Warming and Breasts!

posted July 19, 2008 - 12:17am
God, Politics, Global Warming and Breasts!

Reading the comments on this site for over a year now and have noticed that any article that talks about religion(God), Global warming, American Politics or Breasts can get you pages and pages of comments, if that is what you are looking for.

Most of the people here, ie, the "Xombies" seem to be passionate about these topics one way or the other so much so that the discussion or debate (should I say) starts to turn into personal attacks on each other in the process.

Now, a healthy debate or discussion is always good to read and provides insight and provokes thoughts on the different perspectives of the topic. So far so good. But there are times when things start to get a little ugly and the comments are used to attack a person's character, just because one doesn't happen to agree to the other's point of view! Now, is that really called for?

I noticed, that a particular "user" (I don't want to take names here), has gone so far as to write a complete "byte" that basically defames another "user" on the site by indulging in a lot of "name-calling" which, unfortunately, has been endorsed by another user in a comment to that byte.

Looks like the people on Xomba are really not going through the rules and policies on Xomba or couldn't care less about them one way or the other. There is a rule that clearly states the following: I quote-

* "Rule no.12.- Content which denotes or promotes any kind of violence, racial intolerance, prejudice, bigotry, hatred, or is in any way abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory, or in any way implies or advocates any of the above against any individual based on race, religion, sexual preference, political affilliation, or any of their groups or organizations. This includes anyone who expresses their views on Xomba regarding any of of the above. Insults and name-calling will not be tolerated in your posts or in your comments."

I only hope that the Xombies sit up and take notice of all the rules and regulations and their "rights" on Xomba. A person can "flag" the content that he/she finds offensive in any way. Any article that is harassing, or defaming another person in any way can also be similarly flagged for the administrator to take notice and take appropriate action.

Let us not use the comments/bytes for personal vendetta.

Author: rawnak
-A +A


Comments

Xomba and the world

Idlewild - Sun, 2008-20-7 11:17 am
It may seem as if things are getting uglier lately, but it seems to ebb and flow. Things may get angry and bitter for awhile, then die down as the issue being discussed dies down, etc. And as new users join and start posting new discussions (or noticing old ones) things can flare up. (New users may not be aware of the Xomba rules against personal attacks, etc.) I definitely agree that it's good to remember that what's written on Xomba can be read by anyone in the world... and is archived by search engines. Because only a minority of Xombies are posting, it's easy to think that those are the only people reading what's written here, but that's not the case.

Thanks taprial

rawnak - Sun, 2008-20-7 10:09 am
Well, I don't think that is entirely true. I was a victim of such attacks myself not so long ago...! I just happened to notice that the people seemed to be becoming bolder and bolder with their personal attacks and or comments, and writing a whole byte seems to take the cake, as far as I am concerned! After all, you should remember, that these articles are open to public and read by the whole wide world!

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A Timely Reminder

taprial - Sat, 2008-19-7 10:48 pm
A very timely article Rawnak, just when things may have started getting uglier. Not many people notice things when they are happening to others. It speaks volumes about your good character/nature for noticing and taking up an issue which could potentially effect all of us. Great job. Taprial

Bare Essentials

 

 

Replies....

rawnak - Sat, 2008-19-7 12:15 pm
to all your comments. jdubhub - It is nice that you have not resorted to a similar way of retorting back to that particular post, which shows a lot of maturity on your part. You may not have cared much about the post in question or the writer and I am glad that you have taken it lightly. However, my point is that not everybody is like you. There may be some more sensitive people on the site who may get hurt or feel offended by similar kind of insults or libelous comments and my post is targeted towards all the users here, so that they are aware of their rights and should not hesitate in getting it to the attention of the Admin staff! Thanks for your support Champagnedreams - that's exactly the point I am trying to make. Idlewild - You are right in your conclusion that I could be referring to at least a dozen different Xombytes, for there have been more that have contained inappropriate content that are "defamatory" in character! (I don't know if that is the right word to describe what I am trying to say). But, anyways, I am just hoping that such bytes or posts should not be encouraged in any way. I also agree with you about the flagging part. That people should indicate the reason for flagging, which will help the administrator in making their decisions much more effectively as to what kind of action is to be taken.

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V for Vendetta

Idlewild - Sat, 2008-19-7 11:06 am
Rawnak's comments could be referring to at least a dozen different xombytes, as far as I can tell, so I'm not sure which one(s) she's talking about! I tend not to flag such posts, mostly because flagging is a very generic tool, and also it's a judgement call as to what, in the Admins' minds, crosses the line of threatening, name-calling, etc. (There are many other posts that I consider violations of other Xomba rules, but other people don't feel that way.) As for flagging being a generic tool, what I mean is that it tells the Admins that there's "something" wrong with the post, but makes them hunt around to find out what that is. I think Xomba has been working on a way to make it so that when a Xombie flags an item he or she can submit a comment that describes *why* the post was flagged, so that Admins can quickly make a decision.

I Agree

champagnedreams - Sat, 2008-19-7 10:50 am
That there should be no name calling. Sometimes people get overly upset about minor issues. It's okay to disagree with someone else's opinions or writing style or the content of their bytes or blurbs, but they have a right to their opinions just as you have a right to yours. That's my 2 cents.

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Your math fails you, Publius

jdubhub - Sat, 2008-19-7 2:49 am
You should also be looking in the mirror and saying those words. That makes thrice in 48 hours. DO YOU HAVE THE WRITE STUFF?

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Wow...twice in less than 48

Publius - Sat, 2008-19-7 2:46 am
Wow...twice in less than 48 hours I get to make this comment: Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! You make me laugh sometimes, jdub. *If you're interested in reading my articles, Click Here.

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All that needs to be said in reply...

jdubhub - Sat, 2008-19-7 2:45 am
Rawnak, I thank you for your consideration in pointing out the mischaracterizations made by some people here on the site in a failed attempt to disparage me personally. I cannot speak for the writer of that piece, but he is apparently full of anger at something and he chose me as a target of opportunity. The fact that he chose to vent in a public venue instead of taking up his disagreements with me in private, especially given the libelous nature of his remarks, speaks more about him than any ill-chosen words speak about me. His methods were tantamount to stabbing me in the back. Still, I don't care about what he said. Not even a little bit. In fact, I would go so far as to say I pity him. There is so much beauty in the world that should be our focus in our writing and here he is being bitter and negative about things. The fact remains that he doesn't know me. Nothing he said is true. Therefore, in reply to him I say "So?" and that's all that needs to be said. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."--Albert Einstein DO YOU HAVE THE WRITE STUFF?

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If I had wanted....

rawnak - Sat, 2008-19-7 2:15 am
I would have mentioned the post in my Xombyte. Referring to an undesirable byte or blurb elsewhere only gives it more publicity. Notwithstanding, even the byte you are referring to has undertones of inappropriate behavior. The writer of that post could have made those points without resorting to name-calling. I am glad you don't endorse that particular post either. But inadvertently, while agreeing to the writer's view of another user you did end up giving the post more publicity and probably encouraged such behavior. Moreover you did resort to name-calling (even though it was plain copy from the writer's post). That particular byte, as i am sure you noticed has four votes, meaning at least three other people thought that the writer of that post did the right thing. It is tantamount to endorsement. Anyway like i said, i am glad you don't agree with the way it was handled and hope that other users also don't.

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